Building frame and method of erecting a building

ABSTRACT

An assembled frame for a building and a method of erecting a building therewith. A pre-assembled frame includes a floor joist, wall studs, ceiling chord, and the frame for the upper floor also has roof chords. The floor joist and wall studs have notches formed in their inwardly presented surfaces which are adapted to interfit with stringer members. The frames are adapted to interfit with notched mud sills. The pre-formed and pre-notched parts may be readily and unerringly assembled at the construction site by fitting a frame into the notches at one end of the mud sills and temporarily supporting it, then adding an adjacent second frame and placing a stringer member therebetween. Successive frames are added in like manner until the structure is completed.

United States Patent Wright [451 May 16, 1972 54] BUILDING FRAME AND METHOD OF OTHER PUBLICATIONS ERECTING A BUILDING Article From American Builder and Building Age. Dec. 72 1 Inventor: Jay 0. Wright, Indianapolis, Ind. 1932 Page [73] Assignee: Truss Manufacturing Co., Inc., Westfield, Primary Examiner-Price C Faw,.|r.

lnd. Attorney-Trask, Jenkins & Hanley [22] Filed: May 28, 1970 [57] ABSTRACT [21 1 Appl An assembled frame for a building and a method of erecting a building therewith. A pre-assembled frame includes a floor 521 (1.8.0 .52/93, 52/650, 52/741 j Wall studs, ceiling Chord. and the frame for the pp 5 l] C] floor also has roof chords. The floor joist and wall studs have 53] new of Search "52/93, 105 650, 233, 643 notches formed in their inwardly presented surfaces which are 52 90 79 293 74 7 5 292 2 4 4 1 7 adapted l0 interfit with Stl'illgfi! members. The frames 3|? adapted to interfit with notched mud sills. The pre-formed and pre-notched parts may be readily and unerringly assembled at the construction site by fitting a frame into the notches at one [56] Re'erences cued end of the mud sills and temporarily supporting it, then adding UNITED STATES PATENTS an adjacent second frame and placing a stringer member therebetween. Successive frames are added in like manner 3,008,195 I l/l961 Coffey ..52/650 X until the structure is completed, 3,206,903 9/[965 Johnson 52/94 X 3,343,321 9/1967 Axelsson ..52/650 x 5 Claims. 4 Drawing Fig FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 375,240 5/1923 Germany ..52/650 W i" w nw t l U W l2 7 PATENTEDIAY w 5 I872 I3. 662 502 sueanurz INVENTOR JAY D. WRIGHT My If n ronuzys PATENTEDHH 16 I972 SxEEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR JAY D. WRIGHT BY ATTORNEYS BUILDING FRAME AND METHOD OF ERECTING A BUILDING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Buildings, particularly such as homes, garages, etc., are erected today in much the same manner as in years past. Although pre-fabricated homes are available, and the modular concept of construction may offer some promise, the present time consuming, laborious and costly process is used in most instances. Normally, each such structure is constructed from the ground up at the construction site. The builder has but a plan and the raw materials when he begins. Measuring, cutting, connecting, and all other operations are performed at the job site. Partly as a result, building costs continue to soar. 1 The need for a faster and more precise method is readily apparent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a solution to some of these problems. The great bulk of the labor is performed in the factory with precision and may be performed by labor saving machines. Essentially all of the building parts are delivered to the construction site in ready-to-assemble form. Mud sills are affixed to the foundation, frame members are placed on and interfitted with the mud sills, and stringer members are placed between and interfitted with the frame members. The frame members, stringer members and mud sills all may be constructed with pre-formed, spaced, mating notches which will interfit with one another to hold the structure firmly together. Correct spacings and alignments are assured. Quality and speed of construction are increased. Costs are decreased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. I is a view ofa frame member;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view showing the interconnections of a mud sill, floorjoist and wall stud;

FIG. 3 illustrates the notched floor joist and a stringer member; and

FIG. 4 shows a partial building structure in the process of being erected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. I illustrates an assembled frame member 10. The frame 10 includes a floor joist 12 having spaced notches 14 in its inwardly or upwardly presented surface 16. Wall studs 18 are connected to the joist 12 adjacent each end thereof and extend upwardly therefrom. Metal connector plates 20, which may be rolled, pressed or nailed into position, connect the joist and wall studs together. Each of studs 18 has spaced notches 22 in its inwardly presented surface 24. The inwardly presented surfaces and notches in the floor joist and wall studs are perhaps best seen in FIG. 2. A ceiling chord 26 extends between and is connected to studs 18 adjacent their upper ends. The frame for the upper floor also has a pair of roof 6 chords 32 connected to the ceiling chord 26 adjacent its ends and are connected together at an angle. Supporting members 34 are connected to both the roof chords and ceiling chords. Connector members 20 are used to make all the connections between the various members.

The frame 10 constitutes the basic unit for rapidly and accurately erecting a building. Each of the notches I4 and 22 are of such size and shape as to be adapted to engage a portion of a stringer member. Thus one or more stringer members will interconnect a plurality of frames. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a stringer member 36 has spaced notches 38 formed in its outwardly presented surface 40. Each notch 38 is adapted to interfit with a notch in the joist or stud. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a notch 38 in stringer member 36 is adapted to interfit with notch I4 of floor joist I6. The desired distance 7 between the frames of the structure to be erected determines the spacing between notches 38 in the stringers 36. The lower ends of wall studs I8 and a portion of floor joists l2 fit into spaced notches 42 in the upwardly presented surfaces 44 of mud sills 46.

Each of the notches in the various parts will interfit with a notch in its mating part, thus providing a firm and unerring interconnection of parts. Desirably, the various parts are further connected together in a conventional manner, as by nailing. Moreover, the pre-notched parts serve to locate each of the parts with respect to the others and avoid the necessity of measuring and fitting parts on the construction site.

The method of erecting a building with frames 10 is illustrated in FIG. 4. As previously noted, the frames 10, stringers 36, and mud sills 46 are factory built in accordance with the building specifications. Thus the number of frames, the spacing therebetween and the number of stringers and the spacing therebetween, are pre-determined in the factory. At the construction site, the building can be rapidly and accurately erected.

Mud sills 46 are first fixed in position, as on a building foundation 48, with their upwardly presented surfaces parallel with one another and with notches 42 in each sill aligned with notches in the next adjacent sill. A first frame member 10A is then placed on and into engagement with the aligned notches 42 at one end of mud sills 46. This first frame member is temporarily supported in an upright position, as by staked frame supports 50. The first frame 10A is then connected to mud sill 46, as by nailing. A second frame 108 is placed on and into engagement with the next adjacent set of aligned notches in mud sills 46 and that frame is connected to the mud sills. A stringer 36 is placed between and into engagement with frame members 10A and 108. For example, a stringer 36 is placed into engagement with the notches 22 in wall studs I8. In this manner, two frame members are connected to the mud sills and are standing in an upright position. At least one stringer member extends between and beyond the two frames. An additional frame NC is then placed on and into engagement with each of the next adjacent set of notches 42 in mud sills 46, and the stringer member 36 is caused to be engaged with a notch in that frame. This process is repeated until all of the frames are in position and until all of the desired stringers are in position and engaged by notches in the frames. The stringers may be of such lengths as to leave openings for windows and doors. All frame members should be fixedly connected to the mud sills, as by nailing, and each of the stringers is likewise desirably connected to each of the frame members. Where multiple floors are desired, only the uppermost floor is provided with roof chords. Mud sills are affixed to the ceiling chords of the first floor and the foregoing process is repeated to form the second floor. Siding or other appropriate materials can then be affixed to the structure and other finishing steps may be performed. The temporary supports for the first frame member may be removed once the process has proceeded to the point where the structure will stand firmly without support.

Iclaim:

I. A building, comprising a plurality of mud sills spaced from one another and each having spaced notches in its upwardly presented surface,

a plurality of frames disposed in parallel planes normal to the plane of said mud sills,

each frame comprising a floor joist having a notch in its upwardly presented surface, wall studs connected to said joist adjacent each end thereof and extending upwardly therefrom, each of said studs having a notch in its inwardly presented surface, and a ceiling chord extending between and connected to said studs adjacent their upper ends,

the lower end of each of said studs and a portion of said joist adjacent thereto being received in one of said notches in said mud sills thereby interlocking said frames and mud sills,

means connecting said frames to said mud sills,

a first stringer member extending between said joists and received in the notches therein,

and a second set of stringer members extending between said wall studs and received in the notches therein.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said stringer members have spaced notches in their outwardly presented surface adapted to engage and interconnect with notches in said frame member.

3. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition of angularly interconnected roof chords connected to said ceiling chord.

4. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the addition of a supporting member connected to said roof and ceiling chords.

with the aligned notches at one end of said mud sills, temporarily supporting said frame member in an upright position,

connecting said frame member to said mud sills,

placing a second pre-formed frame member on and into engagement with the next adjacent set of aligned notches in said mud sills,

placing a stringer member between and into engagement with notched portions of said frame members.

connecting said second frame to said mud sills.

successively placing additional frame members on and into engagement with each of the other notches in said mud sills,

successively placing a stringer member between and into engagement with a notched portion in each of said frame members,

connecting each of said frame members to said mud sills, and removing the temporary support for said first frame member. 

1. A building, comprising a plurality of mud sills spaced from one another and each having spaced notches in its upwardly presented surface, a plurality of frames disposed in parallel planes normal to the plane of said mud sills, each frame comprising a floor joist having a notch in its upwardly presented surface, wall studs connected to said joist adjacent each end thereof and extending upwardly therefrom, each of said studs having a notch in its inwardly presented surface, and a ceiling chord extending between and connected to said studs adjacent their upper ends, the lower end of each of said studs and a portion of said joist adjacent thereto being received in one of said notches in said mud sills thereby interlocking said frames and mud sills, means connecting said frames to said mud sills, a first stringer member extending between said joists and received in the notches therein, and a second set of stringer members extending between said wall studs and received in the notches therein.
 2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said stringer members have spaced notches in their outwardly presented surface adapted to engage and interconnect with notches in said frame member.
 3. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition of angularly interconnected roof chords connected to said ceiling chord.
 4. The invention set forth in claim 3 with the addition of a supporting member connected to said roof and ceiling chords.
 5. A method of erecting a building comprising the steps of positioning a plurality of mud sills having spaced notches in their upwardly presented surfaces parallel with one another and with notches in each sill aligned with notches in the next adjacent sill, placing a pre-formed frame member having a notched floor joist and notched stud members on and into engagement with the aligned notches at one end of said mud sills, temporarily supporting said frame member in an upright position, connecting said frame member to said mud sills, placing a second pre-formed frame member on and into engagement with the next adjacent set of aligned notches in said mud sills, placing a stringer member between and into engagement with notched portions of said frame members, connecting said second frame to said mud sills, successively placing additional frame members on and into engagement with each of the other notches in said mud sills, successively placing a stringer member between and into engagement with a notched portion in each of said frame members, connecting each of said frame members to said mud sills, and removing the temporary support for said first frame member. 